The Division of University Advancement manages relationships with alumni and friends, government policy makers, the media, members of the community and philanthropic entities of all types to increase understanding and support of the University at Buffalo.
Under the leadership of Interim Vice President Kathleen S. Heckman, the Division of University Advancement comprises a staff of more than 125 professionals who lead the university’s fundraising and alumni engagement activities for more than 270,000 alumni worldwide.
The Division of University Advancement propels the University at Buffalo to its goals by encouraging partnerships, providing opportunities for meaningful and enduring engagement among the university’s internal and external communities through communication and alumni outreach, and by securing philanthropic and strategic investments. The division, and the philanthropy it inspires, plays an enormous role in advancing the university’s objective of reaching the top 25 of national public research universities in the next decade.
With annual fundraising and alumni engagement totals increasing each of the last three years, in fiscal year 2021 the division raised more than $115 million dollars, a record year for the University at Buffalo.
The division is guided by four strategic objectives that inform all of our daily work: increase philanthropy, deepen alumni engagement, invest in talent, and create operational efficiencies to maximize our outcomes. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and building an environment for development professionals that provides for career advancement.
Boldly Buffalo: The Campaign for UB, is a roadmap for the future of University. It is also a promise to UB alumni, students, faculty and staff, community, and friends that an investment in UB will pay dividends around the world, for generations to come. Through the Boldly Buffalo campaign, UB is transforming itself, and the world around us, in three distinct areas: securing our students future, empowering faculty research and scholarship, and improving our world.
The campaign began its silent phase in 2013 and was publicly announced in 2018 with a goal of $650 million. In April, 2021, UB announced that donors had already contributed more than $700 million and was extending the campaign goal to the one billion-dollar mark. In October 2023, UB announced it had surpassed that goal a year ahead of schedule.
To date, more than 70,000+ alumni, friends, and university staff, faculty, students, parents, and companies and foundations have invested in UB through the Boldly Buffalo campaign. They have contributed more than $780 million dollars, a historic achievement for UB, and the entire SUNY system. It is now the largest campaign total in SUNY history and puts UB on par with other premiere public universities in the in the American Association of Universities (AAU).